


Other Side Of The Mirror

by Ghost_Owl



Series: walk the (family) line [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Anakin is SO tired of his grandson's bullshit, Angst, But he is, Canon Compliant, Crack Treated Seriously, Force Ghost Han Solo, Force Ghosts, Gen, General Reactions From the Ghostly Peanut Gallery, Han's not really supposed to be there, He's Very Disappointed in you though Ben, Humor, Implied Obikin, Obi Wan is just Tired in general, Yoda blows stuff up with lightning and all the other ghosts are jealous, and is very confused, gratuitous POV changes, it's fairly heavy implications tho if that's not your scene it can be read either way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:07:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23439685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghost_Owl/pseuds/Ghost_Owl
Summary: Anakin Skywalker's afterlife has gone from progressively bad to "bad but interesting", as he now has to deal with his grandson being the Literal Worst, both of his children inheriting the family stubbornness, and a gaggle of reckless young people who are still trying to save the galaxy despite everything.Oh, and then there's also ghost adventures that now include his estranged son-in-law.This Is Fine.(Follows the Force ghosts of Anakin, Obi Wan, Han, and friends stumbling through the events ofThe Last Jedi)
Series: walk the (family) line [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1205272
Comments: 46
Kudos: 153





	Other Side Of The Mirror

**Author's Note:**

> Remember when this was supposed to come out back in November? _hA._
> 
> Welcome and hello, everyone! This work is part two in this series, but while I'd love it if y'all read part one as well, you don't need to read it to enjoy and understand this fic! The gist of it all is Anakin and Obi Wan's Force ghosts reacting to Episode 8, and that Force Shenanigans have caused Han Solo to go ghost as well, so he's here to react too!

On a lonely island in the middle of a lonely sea on a lonely planet, the Force was frozen in anticipation.

Bright sunlight shone down on a young woman named Rey, who solemnly, reverently, faced the old Jedi Master across from her. Holding out a hand that only trembled slightly, Rey looked Luke Skywalker directly in the eye and presented the Skywalker family lightsaber to its two former wielders.

The wielder she could see, Luke, looked at her and the gleaming hilt oddly, but otherwise said nothing as he slowly reached forward and took it from her hands, his own trembling much more.

The wielder she could _not_ see, the glowing ghost of Luke’s father Anakin Skywalker, had currently risen about three feet in the air next to Luke and was alternating between visibly vibrating in excitement and squeezing the afterlife out of the hand he was holding.

The owner of said hand, Obi Wan Kenobi— Jedi Master, Anakin’s fellow Force Ghost, and current record holder for most time spent dealing with Skywalkers without losing it —was irritably tugging at Anakin’s hand before his friend could rise higher and lift him off the ground as well. “Relax!” Obi Wan hissed at him, not taking an eye off of Rey and Luke.

“How am I supposed to do that?” Anakin challenged, forcing himself back down to ground nevertheless. “Obi Wan, this could change everything!”

“I _know,_ ” Obi Wan murmured, leaning towards Anakin and squeezing his hand reassuringly. “We must have faith.”

“Luke, are you actually going to _do_ something anytime soon?” The loud complaint startled both Anakin and Obi Wan, the pair of them turning in unison to face the middle realm’s newest spectral resident.

Han Solo, Not A Jedi Thank You Very Much, was two days dead and only a Force Ghost by the odd will of having the Chosen One as an estranged father-in-law. 

Having already been directly or indirectly responsible for pretty much responsible for every other horrible event that had happened in Leia’s life down to the Fall of her son to the Dark Side, Anakin had figured no one would mind if he saved Leia’s husband from oblivion after his son stabbed him off a bridge, slightly breaking the transdimensional rules of life and death in order to catch Han’s soul and pull him into the spirit realm.

Han had minded quite loudly, actually, but Anakin figured he was coming around. He still had no love for the man who had been Darth Vader, but they had agreed on an uneasy truce for now.

“Han,” Obi Wan chided at the outburst.

“Don’t ‘Han’ me,” Han snapped, crossing his arms. “It feels like we’ve been standing here for like seven months. Rey’s here to bring Luke back to his senses, isn’t she? Why aren’t they—“

 _”Shhhhh, look!”_ Anakin held up his free hand, gesturing frantically. All three ghosts present went silent, watching as Luke shifted in anticipation.

Metal twinkled like starlight in the sun and Anakin repressed a flinch at the sight of his son’s mechano-hand, synthskin having been burned off five years ago and never replaced since. He knew what he had done. Luke was living with it, so Anakin had to as well.

Obi Wan was more focused on the way Luke looked at the saber as it made its way into his grasp, memories of over thirty years ago when Obi Wan had first given that very same blade to Luke flashing through his mind. His heart hurt, trying to match the wide-eyed, eager boy from so long ago to the old man who now peered at the saber with a guarded face.

Luke’s Force signature, once clear and light as the breeze, was now prickly and fogged with endless unknown troubles. 

As painful as it was to witness, Obi Wan would take it, though. Luke had been cutting himself off from the Force completely ever since he left; this was the most open any of them had seen him in years.

Han shifted uncomfortably at the look on Luke’s face. He had only just gotten here after spending the last years of his life looking for his idiot brother, only to find that even now he would not be able to speak with him because Luke was, at heart, a kriffing stubborn bastard, and apparently the Ben Situation had only made it worse. 

Rey had stepped back, hopeful smile beginning to make its way across her face, neon-bright Force signature still dancing tentatively around Luke’s muted embers. Hope practically radiated out of her.

Luke was continuing to stare at Rey like he had never seen another person before and didn’t like what he saw.

“At least he’s not hiding himself again,” Anakin muttered.

“One of them needs to say something instead of just staring at each other until they turn to stone,” Obi Wan replied.

A shadow fell over Luke’s face and Han started to say, “I just _said—_ ” 

Luke stared Rey right in the eye and flung the saber over his shoulder.

“—that?” Han finished, stunned. “Uh. Luke?”

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Anakin hissed.

Obi Wan’s jaw dropped as he let out a quiet noise similar to something deflating.

Han was Very Confused. Wasn’t that like, Luke’s very important family heirloom? The one Maz made the galaxy’s biggest deal about? The damn thing that Ben nearly killed Finn over and Rey nearly killed Ben over?!

“And now, and now you’re just gonna putz right off?” Han said incredulously to Luke’s back as the guy honest to stars walked straight past an astonished Rey and back down the stairs.

Rey stood in place, stunned for a moment, looking at where Luke had stalked off, back at the cliff behind her where the saber had gone flying, and back in Luke’s direction before abruptly starting after him. “Master Skywalker?”

None of the three ghosts moved to follow. Obi Wan turned to look at his companions and didn’t know whose expression was more painful to see, Han’s bewildered hurt or Anakin’s stony bitterness.

“Well,” Obi Wan started, but Anakin was already shoving past him for the edge of the cliff.

“Be right back guys, just gonna go fish my lightsaber out of the damn ocean!” Anakin’s voice rang hollowly with false cheer. “You two can go deal with… _that._ ” He waved a dismissive hand in the direction of his son, voice darkening. “Don’t wait up for me.”

“Anakin—“ Obi Wan began, but his partner was already vanishing into the sunshine.

Pinching his nose to ward off an oncoming headache, Obi Wan turned to face Han. “Are you coming?”

There was a tick in Han’s jaw. “Yeah, yeah I think I am.” He started to march off down the stairs before pausing, whirling back and holding out his arm to Obi Wan with a scowl. “I still haven’t figured out how to— can you…?”

Obi Wan smiled to himself despite the situation. “I thought you’ve been learning how to move yourself around in the Force,” he mock-scolded as he put a hand over Han’s elbow regardless.

Han huffed. “I literally _just_ died, give me a break, I’ve been bus—“ His words ended on a surprised yelp as Obi Wan called on the Force to transport them in the blink of an eye down the winding stairs and close to the entrance to Luke’s stone hut.

Han’s glare grew even more pinched and he opened his mouth to presumably complain more at Obi Wan when the scuffle of footsteps down the stairs distracted him. His head snapped to see Luke moving down the last of the steps and Han hurried over to stand in front of him.

“Luke, what in the nine hells are you— hey!” Han spluttered as Luke walked right through him and continued on his way. 

Obi Wan just stood and stared sadly as Luke breezed by him, that sliver of open door in his Force signature now slammed tightly shut and radiating a strong aura of _KEEP OUT._

“Why is he—“ Han started, but Obi Wan held up a hand for silence upon noticing Rey headed down as well, rounding the corner and coming across the gathering of stone huts the second Luke loudly closed his own door.

“Let Rey try,” Obi Wan murmured, eyes on Rey, whose brow was now set with puzzlement yet resolve as she carefully made her way to the door. She called for Luke, who of course said nothing.

The ghosts remained braced with tension as Rey persisted, introducing herself as from the Resistance, adding that Leia sent her and that they needed Luke’s help.

Rey’s aura shimmered hopefully, and Obi Wan urged, “Come on, Luke.”

Han rocked on his heels anxiously. “It’s _Leia_ , Luke. If you won’t do it for us or for anyone else, at least do it for her…”

There was still no response from Luke, and Han gave a slightly-hysterical giggle.

Rey’s aura twisted with even more confusion, but nevertheless she leaned in and tapped at the door with her quarterstaff, calling, “Hello?”

When she was silently rejected for the third time, Rey stepped back and looked around in utter bewilderment, as if the legendary Jedi Master she had heard stories about was hovering somewhere behind her or was about to jump out and say _gotcha!_

Han stepped back as well, a frustrated growl building in his throat. He ran a hand through his hair, turning to Obi Wan in desperation. “What happened?” he blurted out. “I didn’t know what I was going to see when I found him again, but it wasn’t _that_. Blast it, he’s— he’s broken!”

Obi Wan gave a shrug and a mirthless smile. “He’s lost his way,” he replied.

“Yeah, I got that,” Han said irritably. “And Rey was supposed to bring him back to it! You guys all said, Leia’s whole plan is riding on it! He’d see Rey, and then he’d snap out of—“

“We _hoped_ , Han,” Obi Wan interrupted firmly. “That’s what this was, a hope. We’ve been trying not to lose our own hope for five years, and just because this first overture with Rey didn’t pan out immediately does not mean we give up like Luke has. Would he give up if this were one of us?”

“I thought we just established he already has,” Han sniped, watching as Rey wandered aimlessly around the courtyard, casting occasional worried looks back at Luke’s still-closed door.

The feeling of Luke’s angry barriers were now radiating over the entire hut, warning anything living away, and Obi Wan’s lip curled. _Overkill, perhaps?_

“Skywalkers and their tantrums…” Obi Wan tutted to himself, apparently not quiet enough as Han spoke up.

“Uh, yeah, speaking of…?” Han jerked his head in the direction back up the mountain. “Where’s the original Angry One?”

Obi Wan’s heart twinged at remembering Anakin’s heartbroken expression. “He’s likely found the lightsaber by now.” He looked once more at Luke’s door. “And I don’t think his son is coming out. Let’s go find him.”

Han wrinkled his nose, still not a massive fan of Anakin. “Hang on, I was just wondering. You can go say hi, I’ll stay here with Rey. Maybe if I yell some more at Luke he’ll come out and talk to her.” He paused. “It’ll make me feel better, at least.”

Obi Wan nodded, really not in the mood for any more of Han’s sniping at Anakin, deserved or not. “Very well. But if you need us, you’ll have to figure how to teleport up there yourself or you’re walking all of those stairs.”

At that, Obi Wan turned on his heel and vanished to the sounds of indignant Han noises.

He reappeared on a grassy outcropping overlooking the wild sea, recognizing it as the very same one Luke would sit on and meditate— without bothering to connect to the Force, of course.

Sitting in Luke’s place now was Anakin, knees pulled up to his chin as he gazed out over the water. Lying innocently next to him was the lightsaber he had made long ago. Porgs chirped and fluttered around him, one divebombing straight through his ghostly head. Anakin didn’t even flinch.

Anakin’s Force signature was just as prickly as Luke’s, but Obi Wan could sense openness in this one where there was none in the other and made his way to settle down next to his friend in the grass.. “At least Luke didn’t throw it very far,” he offered, nudging Anakin’s shoulder.

Anakin snorted. “Oh no, Luke chucked it right into the ocean. I had to finagle it out from under a rock before the current could steal it.” His shoulders jerked upwards in a half-shrug, and Obi Wan could see the tension built up in them. 

A sideways glance Obi Wan’s way and Anakin noticed what had to be concern on his face, so Anakin tried for a shaky smile. “Hey, at least when you’re a ghost, you don’t have to worry about getting wet, right? I even dried the saber right off!”

Obi Wan looked at him for a moment, and the next thing Anakin knew a stream of cold water was getting dumped on his head. Spitting, he blinked water out of his eyes in confusion to see Obi Wan with an empty glowing glass of water dangling over his head, slight smile over his face. 

“Ghost water,” Obi Wan said with a grin, wiggling his fingers.

Despite himself, Anakin‘s lips twitched back at him, shoving Obi Wan’s hand away and shaking the water off himself in a storm of fluffed-up hair. His smile dimmed almost immediately though, upon seeing the lightsaber beside him again, and he turned away with a frown.

Obi Wan put an arm around Anakin’s shoulder, rubbing gently at it. “Hey, this isn’t the end of the universe. We got Rey here, didn’t we?”

Anakin threw his hands in the air. “Luke tossed his lightsaber _off a cliff_. Your lightsaber is supposed to be your life! What are we supposed to take from that?”

Obi Wan stroked his chin, considering the question. “Well. Technically that particular saber has not been _his_ in a very long time. He still has his own with him.”

Anakin’s face just grew surlier. “Right. He’s just throwing away anything to do with me.”

Which was fair, Anakin was kind of awful, but.

It still hurt.

Luke was one of the only people alive— actually, maybe the only person, who had anything nice to say to him. This was like watching Luke fling himself into the endless chasm on Bespin all over again, except this time was worse because Anakin hadn’t even chopped his arm off this time, or really done anything Sith Lord-ish at all.

For Force’s sake, he was trying to karking _fix_ things this time...

Obi Wan sighed. “He hasn’t only rejected you. He won’t communicate with any of us, remember? Rey told him Leia needed him and he did nothing.”

Anakin winced. “He wouldn’t be like this at all if I didn’t screw up with Ben.”

“How did you ‘screw everything up’ with him?” Obi Wan asked. “You did exactly as Leia said and stayed away from her child, you never even spoke to him.”

“But I spoke to Luke!” Anakin snapped. “I got paranoid because what was happening with Ben reminded me of… of _Sidious_ , and I let my stupid past trauma blind me, so I filled Luke’s head with paranoia over that and let him get completely sideswiped by Snoke instead. No wonder he doesn’t trust me now.”

“You made a call,” Obi Wan retorted. “You listened to what you thought the Force was telling you. Even as one with it, we cannot see the future entirely. You warned how you saw things going, that’s all you could do.”

“I went off over a man thirty years dead who I still can’t get the bad memories to go away.”

“Anakin—“

“Face it, I’m still more of a hazard than a help and Luke knows it.”

“That is not—“ Obi Wan was cut off by the hissing ignition noise of the lightsaber and a cut-off screech from beside them. Both ghosts shot up into the air in alarm, turning to see one of the porgs had hopped on the saber switch and skewered one of its unfortunate brethren who had been standing right in front of it.

Swearing viciously, Anakin waved his hand, extinguishing the stream of blue light with a nudge of the Force. 

Obi Wan gave a wave of his own, sending the porg corpse toppling over the cliff and into the water.

Porgs ate their own, and he had the feeling Anakin was not quite in the mood to see that at the moment.

“See?” Anakin hissed. “I put the lightsaber down in the wrong place and I killed Nugget!”

“This is why I told you not to name them—“ Obi Wan started, cutting himself off at Anakin’s expression and settled for patting him halfheartedly on the arm.

Anakin took this as an opportunity to lean forward and faceplant into Obi Wan’s shoulder and let out a loud grumble. Resigned, Obi Wan switched his pats to Anakin’s back, sighing again. “You know, he hasn’t actually _spoken_ to Rey yet. Don’t think so hopelessly. Remember how fast you took a shining to her?”

Anakin grumbled again, remembering the first time he had seen Rey back on Jakku and recognized something in the feral desert child, something very similar to what he had seen in Luke.

If Luke would only give Rey an actual chance…

As if his thoughts summoned her, footsteps in the grass and a familiar bright spark in the Force heralded the arrival of Rey at the top of the hill again behind them. Her eyes landed on the lightsaber in the grass and lit up in relief.

She started heading for it just in time too, Anakin thought, as two more porgs— Sniff and Cricket —were fiddling around with the saber again. Rey reached down and shooed them away, picking it up gently.

“Any chance you can hear us, Rey?” Anakin tried. They had been trying with her for the past few days but still, worth a shot.

Something in Rey’s aura flicked in his direction, but her gaze turned out and over the cliffs, not to the ghosts standing beside her.

“Dammit,” Anakin said.

No footsteps behind them, but panting of unnecessary breaths sounded next, and now Obi Wan and Anakin were greeted by Han, who had indeed ran all the way back up the steps instead of teleporting.

“We really need to work on your—“ Anakin started to say.

“Shut up,” Han told him, still taking in air.

“You know that now that you’re dead, you don’t need to br—“

 _”Shut. Up.”_ Han jabbed a finger at them. “We can deal with Luke later. We got news from the Resistance.”

**Author's Note:**

> Oooof I've MISSED writing my ghost boys and my goofy chapter titles. This is crack treated seriously so I can't promise not to hit yinz with the angst train on occasionally, but this is gonna generally be a funny fic!
> 
> I've made a vow that with the exception of Han's ghost, this fic will not stray from ST canon. I may add additional scenes, but overall this is gonna go exactly the way you think it will. All characters will be given a fair shake by the narrative.
> 
> Yep, this will cover the entirety of TLJ, but some of the scenes from the movie will be in different order in this story than they are in the film, as y'all can see from how I've opened with Luke and Rey and not Poe and the Resistance. I assure you I have not missed a scene if it doesn't show up in movie order, it's just been moved to later in the fic, and if I cut a scene, you'll know.
> 
> I'm SUPER excited to delve into this fic. I'll admit TLJ was my least favorite movie of the trilogy, but I promise that you folks shouldn't be able to tell (uh, most of the time). I have plans!
> 
> Leave a comment below if you're here from _Void_ or if you're just discovering the story for the first time, I love feedback!!!!!!


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